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Public School ONLY -- "Saving Face" at the expense

 
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Has your Public School ever covered something up to save face at the expense of a student?
Yes, at least once.
40%
 40%  [ 9 ]
No, not that I know of.
45%
 45%  [ 10 ]
No, but I have heard stories about other schools that have.
13%
 13%  [ 3 ]
Total Votes : 22

Author Message
nate2008



Joined: 10 Apr 2008
Location: Daegu

PostPosted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 10:01 pm    Post subject: Public School ONLY -- "Saving Face" at the expense Reply with quote

Hey all, there have been a few threads about this sort of thing recently and thought I would do a poll on it. I was wondering how many people have actually experienced an occasion where a PUBLIC SCHOOL (not Hagwon) has deliberately covered up a serious issue regarding a student for the sake of saving face. For example, the recent story about a kid being gang-beat several times and the school doing nothing for the sake of saving face.

Have you ever witnessed a school cover something up for the sake of saving face at the expense of a student?

If you have stories, please do share them!

Thanks![/code]
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Teelo



Joined: 09 Oct 2008
Location: Wellington, NZ

PostPosted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 1:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

They make a sport out of it.
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Gillian57



Joined: 14 Oct 2008

PostPosted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 1:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh sure, my school covers stuff up all the time. One time I went home on a Friday and all was well. Came back Monday hand 1/3 of the students were in the hospital from food poisoning (Saturday's cafeteria meal).
The principal at the time blamed it on "Stress" and told the parents that the students had made themselves sick.

Bullcrap. It was food poisoning. Everyone knew it. Noone said a word aloud to the contrary, though, so face was saved.
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crosbystillsstash



Joined: 12 Oct 2008

PostPosted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 5:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Why don't we be honest and say "saving face" = lying.
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laogaiguk



Joined: 06 Dec 2005
Location: somewhere in Korea

PostPosted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 5:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

crosbystillsstash wrote:
Why don't we be honest and say "saving face" = lying.


Well, it actually isn't quite the same. It's usually worse.

Some say that Australians and Americans are very direct (sweeping generalisation, I know), and they might be. But give me a bit of rude directness over face saving anyday. Face saving is almost always the opposite of development.
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Yu_Bum_suk



Joined: 25 Dec 2004

PostPosted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 5:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The face-saving that happens at PS is nothing compared to what I saw at my brief hagwon experience. At PS it's about saving everyone's face; at hagwon it's about saving one guy's face.
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Teelo



Joined: 09 Oct 2008
Location: Wellington, NZ

PostPosted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 5:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

*Racist comment incoming*

Well I don't think it should matter whether they save their faces or not. Unscarred or ugly, they all still look the same to me anyway!
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Bucheonguy



Joined: 23 Oct 2008
Location: Bucheon

PostPosted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 7:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My school covered up one of my student's gang beating. They did it because it would hurt their reputation too much since they all ready knew he was being bullied by the kids at our school. they also covered up his broken nose given to him months before by the same kids. This time it was so bad the kid was in the hospital with about $10000 US in bills.

Personally, I think anyone who does this sort of thing should be stoned in the village square...
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nate2008



Joined: 10 Apr 2008
Location: Daegu

PostPosted: Sat Nov 15, 2008 10:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the input guys, it's been really helpful!

I could use more votes from people!!
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Jeff's Cigarettes



Joined: 27 Mar 2007

PostPosted: Sat Nov 15, 2008 10:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Never seen the likes and really, who could care less?
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jadarite



Joined: 01 Sep 2007
Location: Andong, Yeongyang, Seoul, now Pyeongtaek

PostPosted: Sat Nov 15, 2008 10:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just watch from afar, don't get roped in, and enjoy them try to control the situation. It's quite entertaining. Then ask them, "What's going on?" for a bonus laugh.
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pest2



Joined: 01 Jun 2005
Location: Vancouver, Canada

PostPosted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 3:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

laogaiguk wrote:
crosbystillsstash wrote:
Why don't we be honest and say "saving face" = lying.


Well, it actually isn't quite the same. It's usually worse.

Some say that Australians and Americans are very direct (sweeping generalisation, I know), and they might be. But give me a bit of rude directness over face saving anyday. Face saving is almost always the opposite of development.


It actually took living in Taiwan and China to understand it better (where people dont get all touchy about negative aspects of thier cultures during these kinds of discussions), but even though I agree that the shame culture is a complete detriment to the development of society, its almost impossible for them to have it any other way.. they're socially interdependent and they all exist in a heirarchy. Socially interdependent meaning they have to rely on relationships to get things moreso than knowledge of a system of rules. Heirarchy like, um, sorta like the army. Yes, Asia is like a bunch of armies, each country being an army. People there are always in a certain role and a certain rank. So, if you are the grunt (student), you can't accuse the first officer (school principal) of wrongdoing even if a wrong did occur because it means that officer will cease to be an effective leader... and it ruins him beyond repair personally because he will not have anyone's respect and therefore he becomes completely useless...
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